Chapter 99 Tax Investigation

"Bruce Williams has been arrested by the IRS!"

"I heard it's tax fraud, millions of dollars!"

"The Williams Family is completely finished. Jimmy is in prison, Bruce has been arrested, and Old Williams is at home waiting to die alone."

"Serves them right! They've bullied Oxford Town for so many years, and finally, karma has caught up with them."

"Who do you think is behind this, targeting them?"

"Need you ask? That Chinese international student, Mu Xin."

"Isn't he building a hotel in Hueston Woods? What does that have to do with the Williams Family?"

"The Water Plant was bought from the Williams Family by him. Jimmy was arrested for committing arson at the Water Plant, and now Bruce has been taken away by the IRS. Do you think this is a coincidence?"

"..."

Mu Xin sat on the third floor of the Morris Building, scrolling through posts on the forum, and he realized that Americans were just as fond of gossip.

Victoria stood by the window, holding a cup of black coffee, her light gray eyes watching the rain curtain outside.

"When did you submit Bruce's materials to the IRS?" Mu Xin asked.

"A few days ago," Victoria said softly, "the day Jessica went to see the judge."

Victoria walked to the table, took a thick file out of her bag, and placed it in front of Mu Xin.

"Bruce Williams' tax records for the past five years are all here."

"What did he do?" Mu Xin asked with some curiosity.

"Simply put, he only reported one-third of his actual income." Victoria opened the file.

"He has seven properties, three luxury cars, and spends over five hundred thousand dollars in casinos every year, yet he only reported an annual income of one hundred and twenty thousand."

"One hundred and twenty thousand?" Mu Xin raised his eyebrows.

"One hundred and twenty thousand," Victoria repeated, "how could someone with an annual income of one hundred and twenty thousand afford seven properties, three luxury cars, and five hundred thousand in annual casino spending?"

"The IRS isn't stupid; they had noticed it long ago, but no one had ever provided conclusive evidence."

"What did you give them?" Mu Xin looked at the documents.

"Bank statements, property registration records, and detailed casino membership spending records." Victoria's tone was very calm.

"All materials have a legal source; the bank statements were retrieved from the internal system of the Williams Bank."

"Don't forget, even though the Williams Bank bears the Williams name, it is a legitimate financial institution, and all transaction records must be backed up."

"Did Tobias help?" Mu Xin was taken aback for a moment.

"Tobias provided the login credentials." Victoria nodded.

"He is a member of the Williams Family, and although he isn't well-regarded, he has a system account for the bank."

"It took me two hours to download everything I needed."

Mu Xin looked at her and couldn't help but laugh, "Did you do this back when you were at Morgan Stanley?"

"No," Victoria shook her head, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, "At Morgan Stanley, we had a dedicated data analysis team, so I didn't have to do it myself."

"But there is no data analysis team here, only me, so I did it myself."

Every page of this file was marked with red pen, and every abnormal transaction was written out clearly.

Victoria always did things more meticulously than he requested.

"When did the IRS people arrive?" Mu Xin asked.

"This morning. I reported it anonymously using an email address from Delaware." Victoria took a sip of coffee.

"I attached some evidence to the whistleblower report and stated that an insider was willing to provide more materials."

"And then they just showed up? The IRS lives up to its reputation." Mu Xin couldn't help but exclaim.

Victoria put down her coffee cup, "Tax fraud is a felony in Ohio, especially when the amount involved exceeds one hundred thousand dollars."

"Bruce's actions involved at least several million."

"How long will he be sentenced for?" Mu Xin asked.

"It depends on whether he is willing to plead guilty," Victoria thought for a moment, "If he doesn't plead guilty, with the evidence being conclusive, three to five years; if he pleads guilty, one to two years."

"But that's not the point," she paused, "The point is that his reputation is completely ruined."

"The main clients of the Williams Bank are residents of Oxford Town and the surrounding towns, and these people have always been dissatisfied with the Williams Family."

"Now that Bruce has been arrested for tax fraud, who would dare to keep their money in the Williams Bank?"

Mu Xin leaned back in his chair, picking at a hangnail on his finger, "So you mean the bank will collapse along with him?"

"It's not that it will collapse along with him; it has already been dragged down into the water." Victoria's tone was very firm.

"The asset scale of the Williams Bank was never large to begin with; it mainly relied on deposits from local savers and the capital of the Old Williams Family."

"Now that the core members of the family are one in prison, one under investigation by the IRS, and one nearly dead, the confidence of the depositors will collapse instantly."

"Bank run." Mu Xin thought of the right term.

"Yes," Victoria nodded, "A bank run."

Mu Xin was silent for a few seconds, then laughed, "Victoria, do you know how much what you just said is worth?"

Victoria was taken aback. "How much?"

"To be precise," Mu Xin shook his head, "it is the final straw for the complete destruction of the Williams Family."

"The Water Plant was acquired, Jimmy is in jail, Bruce has been arrested, a bank run is underway, and Old Williams sits alone in that empty manor, watching the family empire he spent a lifetime building crumble within a few months."

"How much longer do you think he can hold on?"

Victoria looked into Mu Xin's eyes, "Mr. Mu, did you plan this from the very beginning?"

"It wasn't planned," Mu Xin stood up, "It was walked out step by step."

"Every step was taken correctly; every step was not wrong."

"That is all."

...

The news of Bruce Williams being taken away by the IRS reached Old Williams' ears that very evening.

In the living room of the Williams Manor, Old Williams sat in his custom electric massage chair, covered by a blanket, his face ashen as if he were already dead.

His hands rested on the armrests, his fingers trembling slightly, his eyes fixed on the yellowed old photograph on the wall.

The photo showed the Water Plant thirty years ago; he was standing right in the center, full of high spirits.

A nurse stood behind him, holding a glass of water and some pills in her hand, and whispered, "Mr. Williams, it's time for your medicine."

Old Williams did not react.

"Mr. Williams?"

"Get out." Old Williams' voice was so hoarse it was barely audible, "All of you, get out."

The nurse hesitated for a moment, placed the medicine on the coffee table, and turned to walk out.

Only Old Williams was left in the living room.

The wall clock ticked away; it was raining outside, and raindrops hit the glass, making a soft, fragmented sound.

Old Williams closed his eyes, and a turbid tear slid from the corner of his eye, tracing down his wrinkled cheek and landing on the back of his withered, thin hand.

He remembered many things. He remembered the morning the Water Plant was just completed; he and the workers stood in the center of the plant area, the sunlight shining on the brand-new equipment, shimmering with a silver-white light.

He remembered when Jimmy was born; he was pacing back and forth in the hospital corridor, and the moment he heard the crying, he felt he was the happiest person in the world.

He remembered the first time Bruce called him Dad; he was holding that little one, spinning around in the living room several times, laughing like a child.

He remembered the first day Tobias came to this home; he had brought him back from the orphanage, and Tobias stood timidly at the doorway, clutching a worn-out doll in his hand.

Back then, everything was fine. Back then, he was still the local tyrant of Oxford Town, and no one dared to provoke him.

Now, everything is gone.